During this academic year we have been working with a number of groups of students from Connell Co-op college. They have been taking part in our Future Ready programme, spending time completing the iDEA Award and working on social action projects.
The two groups who finished the programme in February spent time working on two social action projects: the first focussed on raising awareness of knife crime and the second on helping support those facing homelessness in Manchester.
As part of their projects, students had a visit from Alice and Danny from 'Invisible Cities Manchester' who helped to inspire them to raise money and collect donations to help support the homeless charity. Invisible Cities offer tours of the city all led by locals who have previously been homeless on the streets of Manchester.
In order to raise money, students organised a cake sale (with kind donations from Asda Eastlands) and a penalty shoot out in college. They raised £106.92 to donate to Invisible Cities with these two activities. That money has now been donated to the campaign to support Invisible Cities tour guides during the Covid 19 pandemic.
Students also collected a whole collection of toiletries, socks and warm clothes that will now be distributed to shelters across the city.
Danny, one of the tour guides from Invisible Cities who visited Connell to speak to the students was thrilled with the work they had completed. "At the the college, the students were really enthusiastic, they were taking it in and listening. They wanted to hear what we had to say. The money they raised and clothes they collected since is great, they should be really proud of their hard work. Our aim is to raise public awareness of homelessness, I hope that they learnt about homelessness but also that seeking help at an early age is going to help prevent themselves falling on hard time."
Well done to all the students involved in this amazing effort to support those less fortunate in our city.
To find out more about Invisible Cities Manchester, the tours they lead and the work they do supporting homelessness in Manchester, please visit https://invisible-cities.org/cities/manchester.
If you would like to donate to the current drive to support the tour guides (all of whom are ex-homeless) then please visit https://www.justgiving.com/crowdfunding/support-invisiblecities-guides?utm_term=z5e95PNgY
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